Amity Arena
3rd Person POV
"And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for..." Port called over the loudspeakers, "the one-on-one finals!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Phoenix grinned as he stood next to Yang, Sun, Mercury, Penny, and Pyrrha (who was looking a little uneasy).
"Barty, why don't you explain the rules?" Port asked.
"Ah, it's quite simple, Peter," Oobleck answered. "Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place."
"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare," Port agreed.
"Ah, yes, yes. Now, let's see who our first match will be," Oobleck said, and the screens surrounding the top of the arena started scrolling.
Eventually, the scrolling stopped, the rotations halting.
"Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!" Port shouted as Cinder's eyes narrowed. This... this wasn't supposed to happen. They had removed the virus from the CCT, so the randomization should be proceeding as normal. Could this have been up to chance?
"Break a leg, sis!" Ruby called as the crowd erupted into cheers.
Looking over, Cinder and Emerald exchanged looks.
"Would all other combatants please leave the stage," Port called.
Phoenix nodded and followed Pyrrha and the rest to the stands while Yang turned to face Mercury. Smirking, the two walked toward each other as the center of the arena lifted into the air, and a large grid with lights rose above them.
"You better not go easy on me," Yang taunted.
Mercury chuckled. "You wish."
Assuming fighting stances, the two edged forward.
"Three... Two... One... Fight!"
Pulling back just as their hands touched, Yang drew back a fist while Mercury jumped and did a spinning back kick. The two blows met in midair, and a shockwave tore across the stadium.
Landing on his feet, Mercury charged forward and jumped, aiming a kick, and Yang flipped over him.
Yang landed and launched a Dust shell at him, only for Mercury to sidestep. Blocking a series of punches, he lashed out, kicking Yang in the torso and unloading a round that sent her flying backward.
Mercury landed on his feet and spun, a smirk crossing his features. Darting forward and dodging a barrage of Dust shells, Mercury jumped into the air.
He spun, bringing an axe kick down toward Yang, only for the blond brawler to cross her arms, blocking. Flipping backward and dodging a kick, Mercury ducked a shot at his head and backflipped once more, knocking Yang into the air.
Yang landed on her feet and fired her gauntlets, propelling herself toward Mercury.
Unloading a barrage of blows to his torso, Yang tried a kick at his head, only for Mercury to intercept with one of his own. Mercury flipped, bringing his foot down toward Yang, only for her to dodge out of the way.
Pushing himself onto one hand, Mercury kicked Yang in the side with one leg, then pivoted and kicked her in the knee with the other. He spun, lashing out at Yang's head, and she dodged before flipping backward as Mercury swung his foot down, his boot slamming into the arena floor and causing it to implode.
Mercury spun, delivering a kick to Yang's midsection that also knocked him to the ground, Mercury did a backspin to his feet and dashed forward, lashing out with a kick toward Yang's chest.
Blocking the blow, Yang uppercut him in the jaw, then delivered a powerful elbow strike powered by her gauntlet that sent Mercury crashing to the ground.
Pushing himself up, Mercury flipped backward rapidly, dodging a barrage of shells from Yang. One finally connected, and Mercury was sent flying off the edge of the platform.
Thinking quickly, Mercury fired both boots, sending him flying through the air above the arena. Landing on his feet, Mercury lashed out, unleashing a barrage of kicks toward Yang.
As Mercury jumped, kicking at her head, Yang ducked, and Mercury spun, lashing out and sending Yang flying backward. Mercury spun, launching a Dust round after her. Yang rolled, dodging the shell. Mercury raised his leg and lashed out, launching another Dust shell with each kick as he spun on his heel.
Yang sidestepped, dodging two of the shells and lashed out, aiming a blow at his jaw, which Mercury blocked. Kicking her in the jaw and knocking Yang into the air, Mercury jumped, spinning above her, and lashed out, sending her crashing to the ground.
Landing on his feet, Mercury smirked as the Dust shells swirled around and converged, raining down on Yang in a massive explosion of Dust and smoke. Mercury stood, glancing back at the hazy smoke covering Yang before shrugging and walking off, making a show of dusting off his shoulder.
"Here we go," Blake murmured, and she, Ruby, Weiss, Phoenix, Cinder, Emerald, and the rest of Team JNPR watched as the smoke exploded, revealing Yang, flames roaring around her.
Turning to face her, Mercury's eyes widened. "Oh shi—"
Yang lunged and delivered a powerful blow to Mercury's chest, sending him skidding backward. Ducking a kick aimed at her head, Yang delivered a barrage of brutal blows to his torso before delivering a final blow that shattered his Aura and sent Mercury crashing to the ground in a heap.
"What a way to kick off the finals!" Port called as Yang's eyes returned to normal, and she relaxed. Smiling, she raised her fist into the air, earning a loud cheer from the crowd.
"Yang Xiao Long wins!" Oobleck shouted as the arena slowly sank back down.
"Yeah, you did it, sis!" Ruby cheered.
"Way to go, Yang!" Blake called.
Walking over, Yang extended a hand. "Better luck next time, Merc."
Looking up, Mercury smiled and accepted the gesture. "I think I'll take you up on that invite to a bar."
Yang smirked, and her eyes flashed.
Looking behind Mercury, she started as the shadows convulsed, revealing a Revenant. "Look out!" Pushing Mercury to the side, she launched a Dust shell, blowing through the Revenant's side and causing it to dissolve.
"My word!" Oobleck shouted, eyes wide as the crowd erupted into shouts of anger.
"Cut the cameras!" Port ordered.
Eyes turning to normal, Yang looked over at Mercury. "Merc, are you..." She trailed off as she saw Mercury on the ground, clutching his leg... in the same exact spot that the Revenant had stood.
"My leg!" Mercury hissed through gritted teeth and looked up at her, shocked. Seeing the confusion and horror on Yang's face, his eyes widened as several dozen Atlas robots and soldiers surrounded her.
"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" one of the soldiers ordered.
"What?! Why?!" she demanded. "What happened to Mer—"
"Mercury!"
Looking up, Mercury saw Emerald, Cinder, and Phoenix running over while the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR remained in the stands, shocked.
"You alright, Merc?" Phoenix asked, helping Mercury to his feet and supporting him with an arm around his shoulders as Cinder did the same on the other side.
Eyes wide, Mercury looked over at Yang and saw that she was as confused and shocked as he was.
Looking up, Yang gasped as she saw a replay of herself on the screen. For a brief moment, her eyes flashed green, and she shouted something before seemingly pushing aside empty air and launching a Dust shell that flew into Mercury's knee, sending him to the ground with a cry of pain.
"We need some help over here!" Phoenix shouted, eyes narrowed at the screen.
Two medical workers ran over, and Phoenix and Cinder helped set Mercury on the stretcher.
"We need to get this boy to a hospital," one of the workers stated and turned to the other one. "Grab a blanket."
The worker nodded and covered Mercury's torso as they ran off. Phoenix noticed several drops of blood drip down the side of the stretcher and land on the ground.
Seeing Mercury carried off, Yang watched with a horrified, almost heartbroken expression on her face. "You don't understand; he was in danger; I was trying to protect him!" she pleaded, and Phoenix could feel the desperation in her voice.
"Stow it!" one of the guards snapped. "You've already caused enough of a scene!"
Phoenix looked over at Cinder and Emerald. "You two go after him," he ordered, and his eyes flashed.
Emerald nodded and ran off, but Cinder hesitated.
"What is it?" Phoenix asked.
"This is exactly how our plan was supposed to go before we called it off," Cinder explained, and Phoenix raised an eyebrow.
"Go," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Get him back to Beacon by any means necessary. We're going to get to the bottom of this."
Cinder nodded and rushed off, leaving Phoenix to watch as Yang was forcefully escorted out of the arena.
Timeskip brought to you by Yang kicking Mercury through the window... because she can
"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice," Ironwood apologized. He stood in the middle of Team RWBY's dorm, two Atlas guards outside, Yang and Ruby sitting on one bed, Blake on another, and Weiss and Phoenix sitting on the mercenary's hammock.
"But he was in danger!" Yang protested. "I was trying to—"
"Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise," Ironwood said somberly.
"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss protested, Phoenix nodding in agreement.
"Yeah!" Ruby agreed.
Blake remained silent, looking down at her feet.
Ironwood sighed. "You all seem like good students," he admitted, turning to face them. "And the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did... under normal circumstances." He aimed this at Yang, who looked up at him. "What I believe, and hope this to be, is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline.
"When you're out on the battlefield, your judgement can be clouded in an instant... sometimes you see things that simply aren't there... even after the fight has passed."
"But it wasn't tr—"
"That's enough!" Ironwood ordered, causing Yang to fall silent. He sighed. "The sad truth is... whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter.
"The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you that... you're disqualified."
Yang looked down, and Ironwood sighed. "Look," he said. "I don't want this any more than the rest of you, but this is the best option I can offer. If we had any more information, then maybe we could do something different."
"Then it's a good thing I have some."
Everyone turned and saw Emerald standing in the doorway.
"Emerald?" Phoenix exclaimed in surprise. "What're you doing here?"
"Just wanted to let you know that Mercury's alright," Emerald said. "And to hopefully shed some light on this."
"Here's hoping," Phoenix said. "I doubt General Woodpecker here wants to disqualify Yang any more than you do."
Ironwood nodded, his eye twitching. "That is true." He looked over at Emerald. "You say you have information?"
Emerald nodded and took a deep breath. "Mercury said he knows that Yang would never do something like this, even under pressure, and my teammates agree. One of them suggested that Yang could have been framed."
"It's likely, but do you have any proof?" Ironwood asked.
"My semblance," Emerald explained. "It allows me to cause people to see things, things that aren't there."
"Like hallucinations?" Ruby asked.
Emerald nodded. "Exactly. But I can also use it to detect when illusions are being cast. During the matchup, I felt someone else casting an illusion. I think they tried to mess up Yang on purpose."
"I see..." Ironwood was silent for a long moment. "It's a start, but it won't be enough to clear Miss Xiao Long's name just yet. Is there anything else?"
Emerald shook her head. "No, sir."
"Very well." Ironwood nodded at them, and his face softened. "As Phoenix said, I don't want this any more than the rest of you. If you find any more information, then please, do not hesitate to share. Doing so will hopefully clear Yang's name and... her reputation."
Giving everyone one last nod, Ironwood swiveled on his heel and exited the dorm, closing the door behind him.
Yang looked down at her boots for a long moment. "You guys believe me... right?"
"Duh!" Ruby exclaimed.
"You're hot-headed, but not ruthless," Weiss agreed.
"And from what I've seen, you wouldn't harm a downed opponent either," Emerald said.
"Unless it's a Grimm," Phoenix pointed out.
Nodding, Yang looked toward Blake, who was silent. "Blake?"
Blake was quiet for a long moment. "I want to believe you," she said finally.
"Huh/What's that supposed to mean?!" Ruby and Weiss demanded.
Even Emerald looked surprised, and Phoenix's eyes narrowed.
Yang's eyes widened in hurt. "Blake?"
Blake looked down.
"How can you say something like that?!" Weiss demanded, standing up with Phoenix beside her.
"Yang would never lie to us," Phoenix agreed, fire flashing at the corner of his eyes.
Blake sighed. "I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant... it was gradual... little choices that began to pile up. It was like he was under control. He told me not to worry. At first, they were accidents. Then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right... This is all just... very familiar..."
Yang looked down.
"But you're not him," Blake said finally. "And you've never done anything like this before... So, I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes, and tell me you were trying to protect him. I need you to promise me that you regret what you did."
Yang nodded, wiping a tear from her eyes, and met Blake's gaze with her own. "I was trying to protect him. I saw a Revenant and did what I could to shield him."
Blake nodded. "Okay. Thank you."
Yang nodded and sighed. "I think I'm gonna rest up."
Blake stood. "We'll get out of your hair.
Phoenix nodded. "And for the record, I don't think Mercury blames you."
"How can you be sure?" Yang looked at him, and deep inside, Phoenix could see something had cracked inside her. "I broke his leg, Phoenix!"
"But not my spirit."
Everyone froze and turned to the doorway. Standing there, supported by Cinder, with a trademark smirk on his face... was Mercury.
"Mercury?" Yang exclaimed, shocked. "How...?"
He grinned. "Miss me, blondie?"
Yang stood, staring at him like he was a ghost. "What...?"
"Okay, can someone explain what's going on?" Weiss demanded, staring at Mercury in shock.
"What are you even doing here?" Ruby asked as Mercury and Cinder stepped inside, closing the door behind them. "Your leg's broken."
"That's what I came to talk about." Mercury turned to Yang, and his face softened. "You know I don't blame you for what happened."
"How?" Yang demanded. "I broke your leg, I..." She trailed off, eyes wide as Mercury pulled up his pant leg, revealing gray metal underneath.
"Actually, you just busted another one of my screws," he said with a small smile. "Hurt like the devil, but I'll live."
Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake stared in shock at the metal prosthetic. "What...?"
"There is much we need to talk about," Cinder said, sitting down next to Weiss and Phoenix as Mercury crossed over and sat on the bed across from Yang. "Much we need to reveal."
"What are you..." Weiss started but was cut off as someone knocked at the door.
Exchanging looks with the others, Phoenix stood and walked over. Opening it, he saw Jaune standing there, along with the rest of his team.
"She doing okay?" he asked. "We saw what happened, and..." He trailed off, spotting Mercury. "What is he doing here?"
"Ren, is Mercury's ghost sitting there, or am I hallucinating?" Nora asked, eyes wide.
"No, I can assure you, I'm seeing the same exact thing," Ren said, eyes wide as well.
"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked.
"That's what we're gonna talk about," Phoenix said, motioning them inside.
"What is this all about?" Jaune asked, taking a seat along with the others.
Phoenix exchanged looks with Cinder and nodded before turning to the others. "Tell me guys... What's your favorite fairy tale?"
Timeskip brought to you by Nora threating to smash some legs because someone stole her pancakes
"So, let me get this straight," Yang said slowly, eyes wide. "The story about the maidens... it's real? The maidens exist?"
"And Ozpin wants Pyrrha to become the next one?" Jaune exclaimed.
At first, the two teams had been hesitant to accept this information, but after Phoenix showed them the footage he had recorded... even Blake was convinced.
"So that's why you were so upset the other day," Jaune realized, looking over at Pyrrha.
She looked down, and Jaune placed a gentle hand over hers.
"I can't believe it," Ruby said, shocked.
"Believe it," Phoenix replied. "And there's more."
"What?!" Nora exclaimed. "How can there be more?"
"While it's true that the maidens exist," Phoenix said. "Their origins were... glassed over, you could say."
"What do you mean?" Ren asked.
Phoenix clapped his hands. "Sit down, kids; it's story time. Everyone comfortable?"
The three teams nodded, Mercury and Yang sitting on one bunk; Ruby, Blake, and Nora on another; Ren, Jaune, Pyrrha on a third; and Emerald and Cinder on the fourth while Weiss sat on Phoenix's hammock.
"Alright," Phoenix said and held out a hand. Almost immediately, the lights went out, causing several gasps from the group. "I'm not gonna sugar coat any of this." He snapped his fingers, and fire gathered above his hand, illuminating his face with an eerie glow.
"Long ago, there was a young woman, trapped alone in a tower by her father for many years. Her name... was Salem," Phoenix began. "She was trapped up there for many years, with not but a spirit to keep her company, until, eventually, a man by the name of Ozma came and rescued Salem from her imprisonment. The two fell in love and planned many great adventures and a full life together."
"I'm sensing a 'but' in here," Mercury said, and Cinder reached over and smacked him. "You already know the story," she hissed and nodded at Phoenix. "Continue."
Phoenix nodded and turned toward the others. "As I was saying, they lived several years together. Until, one day, Ozma fell gravely ill and passed away.
"Heartbroken and angry, Salem traveled to the domain of light, where the God of Light dwelled. There, she pleaded with him to resurrect Ozma, but was refused.
"Desperate for help, she traveled to the God of Darkness, explaining her plight while taking care not to mention the elder brother. Pleased, the God of Darkness brought Ozma back, only for the God of Light to intervene. After a long standoff, the God of Light confided how Salem had gone to him first, and the God of Darkness erased Ozma as punishment in front of Salem.
"Salem, enraged, attempted to attack the Gods, but failed, and she was sent away, but not before they placed a curse of eternal life upon her. Countless times, she attempted to take her life and end her suffering but failed.
"Convinced that the only way to reverse her curse was to destroy the brother Gods, Salem traveled the world, convincing kings and queens to aid her on her quest. Eventually, she led a great army to the domain of light, and the Gods killed everyone but Salem as punishment, essentially ending humanity. The Gods departed the planet, but not before shattering Remnant's moon in the process and leaving Salem alone once more.
"For years, Salem wandered Remnant alone, blaming not just the Gods, but herself as well for leading humanity to their extinction. Unknown to her, she was not abandoned, as a spirit watched over her, keeping her company. The same one that kept her company before in the tower—"
"Oh, oh, like the one you have?!" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Aha!" Nora declared, pointing at him. "Now I know why I was hungry all the time!"
Ren blinked. "Why's that?"
"Because he's like a KFC chicken," Nora replied proudly, and everyone facepalmed.
(A/N): Comment the reference if you what it is.
"Yes to Ruby, and no, Nora... just.... No," Phoenix sighed and cleared his throat. "Anyway—The spirit accompanied Salem throughout her years of isolation, guiding her, but eventually, Salem, lost and desperate for an end, found her way back to the Land of Darkness. There, she found the blackened pools, which spawned the creatures of Grimm, left behind by the God of Darkness.
"Desperate with the hope that the pools would take away her immortality and reunite her with her beloved, she allowed herself to fall. However, the pools were unable to destroy a being of eternal life, and instead, warped her mind and body, turning her into a being bent on destruction.
"However, as this occurred, the God of Light returned Ozma to life, with the understanding that life had once again returned to Remnant. He revealed that he had left behind four relics, that when brought together, humanity would be judged, and either the Gods would return... or Remnant would be destroyed. Until this time, Ozma would reincarnate in an individual's body and gradually take over until the body belonged to Ozma. Ozma initially refused, but after it was revealed that Salem still lived, he accepted.
"Ozma lived many lives upon Remnant, and in his first incarnation, he heard tell of a woman known as 'the witch.' This... was Salem, who had taken to living alone with nothing but the spirit to keep her company as she sealed herself away from humanity in the hopes of protecting them from the monster she believed herself to have become.
"Upon Ozma's arrival, the two reunited, and they set out, both keeping horrible secrets from each other. Realizing that they were the only humans left with magic, they united the new humanity under their rule. Their kingdom prospered, and they came to have four daughters who had the ability to wield magic. The maidens."
"Wait, hold up, stop," Yang said, causing everyone to look at her. "You're saying that the maidens were actual children born from these two?"
Phoenix nodded. "Yes. As I was saying, the kingdom prospered for many years, and for a time, Salem and Ozma were happy.
"Salem was still burdened by the darkness of the Grimm, but the spirit guided her, shielded her, although the darkness took control at times. But it was manageable. Until one day, Ozma finally revealed his secrets as their eldest daughter revealed that she could wield magic.
"Feeling betrayed, Salem's defenses fell, and the darkness broke like a dam, corrupting her from the inside out. And yet, she fought. Even though she was becoming a tyrannical monster, using brutal means upon her people, Salem strived to protect her family.
"Eventually, Ozma grew envious of her power and attempted to take their daughters away with him so that he may become strong enough to face Salem.
"They snuck away in the middle of the night, but were caught by Salem, and a battle ensued. Their home was torn apart by the magic unleashed, and in a last effort, Ozma attempted to use the children to shield himself. Salem, her corruption taking over, lashed out. By the time she regained control, the deed was done, and her daughters were dead.
"Horrified, Salem turned her full rage upon Ozma and killed him. And thus, the war began. Salem retreated to the land of darkness, her corruption having taken over, and a reincarnated Ozma turned to humanity, each side using their respective resources to wage war. Salem, her Grimm, and Ozma, humanity itself. And through it all, the spirit that had guided Salem for so long eventually came to slumber, waiting for the one who would awaken her once more to right the balance.
"And that brings us to the present. After many years imprisoned in her own body by her corruption, Salem eventually regained enough control to set out to gather assistance to finally end her destructive existence."
"And this, is where we become involved," Cinder said, and explained how Salem had recruited her after Ozma sent his Revenants, creatures of Grimm that he had corrupted to his will. She explained how she had met Mercury and Emerald and recruited the two to her side to assist Salem.
After Cinder finished, Mercury went on to explain how they had attempted to remove the maiden powers from Amber without causing her death, a tactic that had ended in failure.
"We never wished for the results to happen, yet here we are now," Cinder stated. "Salem sent us to Beacon in pursuit of the rest of the maiden's power, in the hopes of finally finishing what she had started so long ago."
"And here we are, right in Ozma's castle," Mercury said.
Everyone froze.
"So, this means..." Ruby said hesitantly. "Ozpin is...?"
"Ozma," Emerald confirmed.
Team RWBY and JNPR sat there for a long moment, stunned.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Weiss asked finally, turning to Phoenix as the mercenary snapped his fingers, causing the lights to flick back on.
"Because if you knew, you would have been in danger," Phoenix replied, meeting her gaze. "If Ozpin learned that you were aware of what he was, he would use you as a way to force me to his control."
"It's also why Ozpin let Ruby in so early," Mercury said, causing everyone to look at him.
"What do you mean?" Yang demanded, turning to him.
"Why do you think he let you guys go on so many dangerous missions?" Mercury asked calmly. "Silver eyes are extremely rare for a reason. You all know the tales of the silver-eyed warriors, right?"
"Don't tell me they're true, too," Jaune groaned.
"They're true," Mercury affirmed and turned to Ruby. "Silver-eyed warriors have great power, able to kill Grimm with a single glance. In other words, you are the perfect weapon for Ozpin."
"W-what do you mean?" Ruby asked nervously.
"Silver-eyed warriors unlock their abilities first at a time of great distress," Mercury explained. "That's why Ozpin let you go on so many dangerous missions. If any of your friends or allies were killed, you would unlock your abilities, and thus Ozpin would be able to use you against Salem."
Ruby sat back in her bed, stunned, and Yang wrapped an arm around her. Unbeknownst to the group, a small red-eyed bird perching on the windowsill flexed its wings and flew off into the night sky.
"What do we do?" Weiss asked, finally breaching the question that they were all afraid to ask. "If Ozpin is already making his move... how are we going to escape?"
"Not to mention what happened today," Blake agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if that illusion power that Emerald sensed came from someone acting on Ozpin's orders."
"For the moment, the only plan we've come up with involves stealing the rest of the maiden power and healing Salem so that Ozpin will no longer have any reason to keep on endangering innocents," Cinder explained.
"That won't work," Ren said, causing everyone to turn to him. "Think about it. If Ozpin went to such lengths before to gain power, with Salem out of the way, what's going to stop him from taking control again?"
"He's got a point," Emerald agreed. "Ozpin's been playing this game since day one. How can we kill someone who just comes back?"
Phoenix smirked. "We just have to find someone who can help us."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked as everyone turned to face the mercenary.
"I'm gonna call in some old friends," Phoenix replied and stood. "Sis, I hope you know the way back to the Land of Darkness."
"Why, what are you planning to do?" Weiss asked.
Phoenix grinned at her, and his eyes flashed. "I'm going to have an audience with the Queen."